Final Fantasy Side Story: Unit 113 Archangel
by Rayne21X
Summary: You've heard the tale of the Deep Eyes Squadron in the war. Now take a look at a small band of soldiers trying to survive the coming months of the Homo Sapien-Phantoma War. Please R&R, and no flames.
1. This Is Bravo Team & This Is Their Story

The night was dark and gloomy. The city streets were deserted, cars still remained in the roads; some of them with their former drivers still clutching the wheel. No signs of life could be found anywhere. The silence was soon broken by the steady whine of a jet engine. In the skies above an aircraft was passing over the cityscape. It was shaped like an axe, a flying axe, cutting through the night sky. Then four silver shapes were ejected from the ship and they plummeted to the city streets. Falling at high speeds, the four shapes suddenly launched green beams at the floor. Each beam splattered against the ground creating a mattress of green gel for the shapes to land on. With their landing softened, the dark silver shapes were revealed more in the fluorescent glow of the green gel. They were humanoid in form, each about 5 to 6 feet tall with bulging bodies, arms, and legs. Each held a long heavy rifle, wore a silver helmet, and each had bright blue eyes. As they stood to their feet, they brought their rifles up and scanned the area with both their eyes and computer scanners. Their leader, whose shoulders were clad in red, looked up at the sky.

Jamal looked up to see their transport fly off. "Radio me when the buoys have been planted, skipper." a female voice said on Jamal's helmet comm. "Roger that Angel. All right guys, target building is a few blocks away. Let's mark it and get outta here." "Yes Sir." the other three soldiers said in unison. Beginning their trek to the building, Jamal's spine was frozen with fear. Was it a fear of dying, or just the cold wind blowing on the cold metal of his powersuit? He didn't know. His group, Unit 113 _Archangel_-Bravo Team, had one of the worst jobs in the entire military. Unlike the grunts in Barrier City (BC) New York whose purpose was to simply repel Phantom attacks, groups like Unit 113 were the City Clearers; soldiers who were sent into Phantom held cities and Phantom nests to mark them for bombardment so the cities would be safe for workers to begin construction on extensions of nearby BCs. Not exactly the safest job, most of the soldiers that were killed in the war (besides the wasteland patrols) were City Clearers. Jamal's eyes soon turned to his map, which told him the target building was only a couple blocks away.

Logan saw his skipper was a little on the edge tonight. Although it was just another routine marking mission, Jamal hadn't been as twitchy as he was tonight. Even the new kid that had just transferred into the unit was more stable then Jamal was. "A bit further guys. Keep your eyes peeled though; Intel didn't give us an estimate on skinny population." Logan began looking at dark alleys and abandoned cars. Skinnies loved to pop out of walls and sneak up on their prey. Just as they neared the corner, Logan's scanner started beeping. He looked at the map and saw a red hostile blip appear on it. He turned around and in the distance he saw one. A Phantom, its bright orange skin could be easily spotted in the distance. It was coming out of a car and it began searching for a meal. Logan aimed his rifle and switched its safety off. "Skipper I've got visual contact, one skinny behind us." Jamal turned around and asked, "Do you see any other hostiles?" "Negative." "Leave it, best not to give ourselves away while we're in the open." Logan lowered his rifle and caught up with the rest of the group. The Phantom never detected them. But a few seconds later Logan heard it. The eerie wail they cried out. The same wail he heard in BC New Orleans, when it fell. The same wail he heard before his wife and daughter were killed.

They reached the target building and soon found the garage. According to Intel, the nest was at the lower garage level. "Damn, couldn't these things ever build a nest right in streets or something, that way we don't have to climb steps after marking it?" Ariel thought to herself. They began the long trek downwards. Level by level they passed skeleton after skeleton, some still in the parked cars. All victims of the Phantoms. Ariel knew they were getting close. As they went lower and lower, the hostile indicators on her map grew larger by the number. More and more red blips were appearing on the map and she began to hear the eerie moan the Phantoms normally gave off. When they reached the 3rd to last level, she looked over the railing and saw it. There was no ground, 1st, or 2nd level. At the bottom level was a large orange bulge of mass. It gave off an eerie humming noise and pulsated every few seconds. _Ba-bump…Ba-bump…Ba-bump. _There were hundreds of Phantoms there. Maybe even thousands. The Phantoms didn't notice them. It was the nest. "All right, prep the buoys. Four should be enough." Both Ariel and Ricky began unloading their backpacks and began prepping the buoys. The buoys were needed to give the larger bio-etheric lasers a target. The large lasers were carried on the Unit's dropship and the lasers were the only things powerful enough to wipe out the nest. "Mission's pretty much done guys," Jamal said, "Now all we have to do is…" Jamal abruptly ended his sentence when he saw the exit out of the building. Ariel looked up and nearly had a heart attack.

A small group of Phantoms had gathered at the only exit out of the garage. There might have been ten or fifteen but more then they could handle. The fear then entered Ricky's heart. He was only 19 and had willingly volunteered to join Bravo Team_ Archangel_ but he never had a clue that the jobs would be so dangerous. He had only been with the team for almost a month now and he was going to die. There was no way to escape a Phantom nest alive, and he had a feeling they wouldn't be lucky. Suddenly Ricky's fear was temporarily driven away by the sound of Jamal's voice over the team's commlinks. "All right guys listen. Ariel, you and Ricky finish prepping those buoys. Logan, we've gotta by em' some time. You open up with a few bursts of fire. I'll follow with a charge shot. That should take out most of them. Got it?" "Yes Sir." everyone said. Immediately Ariel and Ricky continued setting the buoys while Logan began to aim his rifle at the nearest Phantom. A loud whine came from Jamal's rifle as it began charging for a charge shot. Almost like a grenade launcher, the charge was the strongest attack the bio-etheric rifle had. It sapped 1/3 of an oval pack's power to launch a blast of energy that would explode and destroy any Phantom particles in its radius. One phantom began to lumber towards them, tentacles beginning to appear. Then the fun began.

Logan opened up with a three shot burst to the nearest Phantom's chest. Small impacts could be seen on its chest but it kept walking. Logan aimed higher and fired five rounds into the Phantom's head. Two rounds pierced its small pulsating, visible orange brain and splattered it against the wall in an orange and green glop. The Phantom gave a painful cry and fell over dead. Logan fired a short burst into the next Phantom, slowing its walk. Then a loud cry came over his commlink. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Jamal cried as he aimed his rifle, the barrel glowing fire red. He fired and sent a ball of pure energy at the group of Phantoms. It exploded and the Phantoms were engulfed in the blast, vaporizing them, splattering their blood, an ectoplasmic green goo, on the walls. "HURRY UP WITH THOSE BUOYS!" Jamal yelled. By now the Phantoms knew that fresh food was in their nest. "DONE!" Ricky yelled as he tossed his buoy over the railing into the nest. A steady beep began in their helmets, letting them know the buoys were set. "Angel, we need dust-off now. Buoys are set, over." Jamal said. "Roger that, buoys detected on my scanners. Proceed to this waypoint, I'll be waiting there." Angel said. "Roger that. Okay Archangels, LET'S MOVE!" Jamal yelled.

Flights after flight of stairs were climbed as Bravo Team made their way to their pickup point. The moans and wails of the Phantoms grew louder and louder as the aliens awoke from their slumber. Logan led the way with Ricky and Ariel in the middle and Jamal at the end covering them. A few shots from Jamal's rifle let Ricky know that the Phantoms were beginning to follow them. His heart pumped with fear, adrenaline, and fatigue. He was excited that he was on his first mission, scared shitless that he might die, and tired due to the heavy suit and rifle he carried and the fact that it was nearly 1:00 am in the morning. He saw Logan turn the corner to climb the next flight of stairs. What neither he nor Logan saw was the Phantom hiding in the shadows waiting for Logan to come to it.

Ariel saw it though and raised her rifle. "LOGAN," she yelled, "STOP AND DUCK!" Logan stopped and saw the Phantom in the shadows and instinctively ducked, barely missing the Phantom's deadly tentacles searching the air for a body to steal. Ariel aimed right for the creature's head and for a split second made eye-contact with it. Its cold eyes stared back at her. Eyes that showed no knowledge, no fear, no remorse, no pity. Eyes that only showed death, destruction, and the desire to take life endlessly. But it was only half a second. The other half, she pulled the trigger and emptied 1/3 of her oval pack into the Phantom's head, splattering its brains against the wall. It let out a wail and phased through the wall were it later died. Logan looked back and gave her a nod and continued his trek up the stairs. "KEEP MOVING!" Jamal yelled as he emptied the last of his 1st oval pack into a Phantom trying to follow them. He ejected it and popped in a fresh one.

The waypoint was on the roof, or what was left of it. An earlier bombardment had destroyed the top half of the building, exposing the 4th to top level. Angel left the ship in hover mode as she waited for them. Searchlights shone on the waypoint from her ship, its ramp was opened and rescue lines were ready to be dropped to pick them up. Meanwhile the laser on the ship's tail was nearly charged to full power as it continued a steady humming noise. "Ares laser charge capacity, 87 ." The ship's female computer said. "Thank God this isn't a wasteland," Angel said to herself, "or I'd be dealing with Banshee Phantoms by now." The flying Phantoms (nicknamed Banshees) were common in the wastelands and loved to sneak up on hovering transports, kill the pilot and let the pilot-less ship crash. Then she saw a large silver figure appear in the waypoint. It was Logan. Angel began to lower the rescue lines as the other three came into view. They were firing their rifles.

As Jamal connected his rescue line to his suit, he fired his rifle from the hip trying to hold back the coming Phantoms. Ariel and Logan were doing the same, their lines were already secured. Finally Ricky connected his and Angel, seeing this, raised them up into the ship. Jamal looked down and saw the Phantoms come into view as Angel lifted them and pulled the ship away from the building. "Thank God they can't fly." He thought. Once aboard he ran into the cockpit and radioed BC Washington D.C. Command. "Command this is Bravo Team _Archangel_ 113. Buoys planted and team aboard; do we have permission to level this place?" "Roger that Captain, blow em to hell." "All right Angel, you heard him. Let those bastards have it." "Aye aye Skipper." Angel selected missiles and pulled the trigger. Immediately four missiles screamed away from the ship to the building and put it in flames. The building collapsed from the bombardment and after the dust settled, the Phantom nest came into view. By now the laser was charged and Angel selected it. Jamal heard the tail section of the ship twist around and aim towards the nest. Its barrel opened and began glowing yellow and then orange. Sparks of yellow exploded across the barrel as it began readying to fire. Jamal looked down and saw Angel lock onto the nest. She pulled the trigger and a bright orange beam flew towards the nest. Impacting, it exploded and the nest was engulfed in a pink mushroom cloud, purple dust covered the entire area. When the dust settled, the nest was no longer there. "My scanners show no signs of Phantoms in the target area sir." Jamal removed his helmet to reveal a middle aged African-American with a loving face but cold brown eyes. He managed a smile. "Good shooting Angel. Let's go home." Angel turned the ship around and headed back home. Their home, BC Washington D.C.

This is Bravo Team Unit 113 _Archangel_ and this is their story.


	2. Coming Changes Amidst A Well Earned Rest

"Unit 113-CC BC Washington DC, codename _Archangel_. Made up of Alpha Team, Charlie Team, and Bravo Team." Major Elliot told General Hein. "Go on." Hein replied. "All three teams have displayed valor and bravery in the war so far and have done their duty well. However I want to point out the repeated success of Bravo Team." This got Hein's attention. Putting his cigarette butt into an ash tray, he brought up Bravo Team's files. "Capt. Jamal Hunter, age 33, race African-American. Entered the service two years ago when his family moved to BC Washington D.C, served with Bravo Team for the past five years." Hein saw Hunter's face; it was the face of a caring man but with eyes that would send a Phantom running. "Sgt. Logan Maxwell," Elliot continued, "age 42, race Caucasian. One of the few survivors of New Orleans. Was with Unit 223 _Deep Eyes_ for a few months in New York, transferred to Washington DC and was put in _Archangel_." Maxwell's face showed mental scars of past battles. The bushy mustache and caring eyes showed signs of a passionate father and husband; something Logan used to be. "Lt. Ariel Ramirez, age 29, race Latin American. Worked as a mercenary before the war broke out, was put in with Unit 113 with Logan, has been there since." Ariel was simply drop-dead beautiful. There weren't many good looking girls in the UNMF, but this chick proved otherwise. "Cpl. Angel Machiko, age 34, race Japanese. Acted as a dropship pilot in the UNMF, one of the few survivors of the Tuscan Massacre. Transferred from BC Texas to BC Washington DC." Hein thought to himself how this team could get so many beautiful girls. Even though Dr. Ross in New York was prettier, Angel wasn't too far behind. Skimming through the last of the files, Hein found an unusual photo of a young kid, looked to young to even be in the military. "What about this new one, this Richard Carmichael?" Hein asked, pointing to the photo. "Oh, Pvt. Richard Carmichael, age 19, race Caucasian. He transferred from London Defense Forces to the UNMF and he ended up with _Archangel_."

Hein stood up and peered out the window of the military building. Outside he saw the faint golden glow of the barrier and saw activity on the ground. A dropship had just landed and the crew was leaving it. "Major, I'm going to assume that this team returning is them." Elliot looked out of the window and replied, "Yes sir, that's them. They've just returned from a marking mission. Apparently from the smoke rising in the old city, I'd say it was a success." Hein however wasn't listening. He saw them one by one remove their helmets. The youngest one, Richard, was laughing with Logan who easily towered over the entire group. The two women were walking to decontamination. Then he saw Capt. Hunter, looking up at him. Hein knew Hunter couldn't see them, but he was damn sure trying to. Soon after one of his soldiers called him, he walked off into decontamination. "Should I send for them sir?" "No, there's no need. We'll keep Unit 113 here for the moment Major. If nothing new comes up in the next few weeks, I'll send an order for you to transfer them to New York." "Yes Sir." The two left the room and entered a nearby elevator. "Major, let me ask you something." "Sir?" "How long has the Zeus been done?" "In two weeks it'll be almost a month." Grunting, Hein crushed his cigarette in his gloved palm. "The council keeps postponing its firing. They've been focused on keeping the barriers active and perfecting new healing methods to stop Phantom infection." "Isn't that the area that that doctor is in? What's his name? Sid?" "Yes, Dr. Gaius Sid. Along with Dr. Aki Ross. The council is focusing more on their department then with the one offensive capability that we have. Those two are up to something other then bio-etheric healing methods. Something else. I don't know what though." "Well sir the council is meeting in New York in a few weeks. I'm sure we'll be able to draw it out of them then." "Let's hope so Major, because I feel that we'll have to take matters into our own hands if proper "action" isn't done."

"God, I don't know how you yanks deal with decontamination scanning while awake." Ricky groaned as he stepped out of the scanning chamber. As Angel stepped in, she looked over and asked, "What in God's name are you babbling about Ricky?" "The scanning! Hell back in Britain, our bunks have built in scanners that decontaminate us in our sleep. I'm still puzzled on how you people do it after a mission, while standing up!" "To make sure the Skinnies don't infiltrate the city." Jamal said as he stepped into the scanner. "These things maybe uncomfortable but their always accurate and detect even the smallest Phantom particles." "But these things leave me so woozy and dizzy afterwards." "He's right you know," Logan said, "I've gotta friend in Unit 223. Ryan Whittaker, he researched a little into the scanners, they cause more harm to us then the Phantoms." "But hey, rules are rules, believe me this isn't the most fun job." The man monitoring the scanner told them. "Hell that's your problem." Jamal said with a smirk as he left the scanner. "Ok you guys are clean, you're clear to go." "Thanks Doc." And with that, Bravo Team left for their own quarters.

_Thunk_ went the knife as it pierced the wall. Logan got up and pulled the knife from the makeshift bull's-eye he crafted from cardboard and red paint. It hung on the nearby wall in the guys' room and his constant throwing had left several marks and slits in the wall. He threw it again and it hit the center circle with a loud _Thunk_. Logan got up and retrieved his knife. Jamal, reading a little from a novel, would give a small shudder when the knife hit the wall. Ignoring it, he buried himself deeper in the book. Ricky on the other hand was trying to watch the BC News but Logan's knife throwing had finally pissed him off. "For the love a God, WILL YOU STOP THROWING THAT BLOODY KNIFE AND GO TO SLEEP!" "I can't sleep." Logan said as he launched the knife again. "Neither can we, with your damn target practice." "Then why are you watching TV and the skipper reading?" "Well what are we gonna do? Just stare at the ceiling until you go to sleep?" "I dunno, you tell me." Jamal was snickering quietly at the two arguing. Ricky and Logan were friends but they bickered like siblings. "It's amazing how you haven't gotten in trouble for destroying military property." "I don't think Major Elliot is that strict. What's more important, a couple of dents in the wall or Phantoms getting into the city?" "By the way why are you training so much with that knife? I doubt a Skinny would be hurt by it if our rifles can barely take them down." "You never know when a knife can come in handy." Logan replied and threw a knife again. _Thunk_! Finally a loud knock came on the door. It opened to reveal a half-asleep but very pissed off Ariel who was holding a small metal pipe in her hand. "GIVE ME THE KNIFE LOGAN!" She said without a smile. Logan looked up at Jamal in his top bunk and asked, "A little help sir." Jamal however had rolled over in his covers with his back turned to Logan, "don't look at me, she outranks you and I'm off duty for the moment." Logan sourly handed the knife to Ariel and in one quick move she slammed the knife on a desk and shattered the blade with the pipe. "We've been up since midnight doing this mission and it's just 2 in the morning. Now reveille starts in about six and a half hours and I don't know about you cockheads but us ladies would like some shuteye before we have to get up. So in other words…GO TO SLEEP AND THAT'S A GOD DAMN ORDER!" Ariel screamed and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Logan was pouting while Ricky was trying to hear the last of the news. Jamal though was laughing hysterically under his covers. "What's funny skipper?" "Oh nothing…nothing at all. But seriously guys let's at least try to get some Z's before reveille alright." "Yes Sir." Ricky said and switched his TV off and rolled up in his covers. "Yes Sir." Logan said as he climbed into bed and secretly pulled a dagger from his boot and tossed it at the wall one last time before rolling up in his covers. He heard Ariel give off a loud growl and he secretly laughed before dozing off. Even though their mission was over and they had earned a good night's sleep, their adventures were just beginning.

To Be Continued…


	3. Attack on the Will To Survive

"It's been almost a week since they left you know." Angel said to Jamal. "Yeah it is kinda odd how they would just split the Unit up like that." Logan added. The entire Bravo Team relaxed in the military rec room as other squads played cards, watched TV, had arm wrestling contests, and other activities. However Bravo Team's mind was directed towards the sudden transfer of Alpha Team to New York. A few days after their last mission, Bravo Team received word that Alpha Team was being transferred to BC New York. For what reason they still didn't know. "It's just not like Major Elliot to split up the unit like this." Ricky said. "Well for all we know," Jamal said, "the unit is still together, and if not, at least Bravo is." They all raised their beer glasses in unison and all said, "Here here." It had gotten near 3 o' clock and the bustling rec room had gotten empty fast. Most of the squads had headed back to their quarters or training drills. The room was going to be closed until dinner time at 6. However two figures remained.

Ariel looked out the window past the golden barriers into the old city. Behind her, Jamal had his arms wrapped around her. The two relaxed in each other's arms and stared out at the old city. "It's amazing isn't it skipper. This war has been going on for nearly 5 20 years now. So many people have died, but yet we're still pulling our lives back together; even with the Phantom threat getting worse." Ariel said. "I know, it hasn't even been a week yet and they've almost reached the halfway point in construction." He was making a reference to the construction crews in the old city. The reason Bravo Team had marked the nest for destruction was for the construction. The city had to be clear so that the workers could begin construction on the BC extensions. They had been working for less then a week and we're nearly 42 complete. "Jamal?" He looked down at her. "Do you ever think this war will end?" "I don't know? Time can only tell." "Are you afraid of dying?" Jamal paused before answering. "…Yes." Then he lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. "But it won't be in this war." He said with a smile. She smiled back at him and the two kissed each other. Little did they know that they along with the rest of Unit 113 would be back out in the city again.

Jack Macmallan, a construction worker grew bored with the work. Sure that the BCs were the only things keeping him and his friends alive but couldn't they have made the work a bit more fun. He led one of the fuel trucks into the construction site and unloaded it. It drove off and he awaited the next one. Most of the first shift had left already. The 2nd shift construction chief decided to begin his crew's shift early so not all of them had arrived. He looked over and saw some of the Marine guards taking off their helmets, setting their submachine rifles down, and smoking cigarettes. Even though they weren't on break yet, Jack lit a cigarette and awaited the next fuel truck. He saw it in the distance and he saw the driver. Then the roof of the truck cab glowed a bright blue. "What the hell? The fuel trucks don't have blue lights." The driver then slumped on the wheel and kept his foot on the gas, not slowing down." "What the hell is he doing…?" Then he saw the faint orange outline crouched on the roof of the truck. It was humanoid and it had dead eyes. Jack's cigarette fell from his lip as he stood frozen in fear as the truck sped towards him. "A-a-a Ph-ph-ph-PHANTOM!" but before he could finish his sentence the truck slammed into him crushing him and plowing into a nearby group of parked trucks. The explosion rattled the entire construction site.

Major Elliot appeared at the command tower after hearing word of an explosion at the site. "All right what's happening!?" Elliot asked. "Explosion at the site. We're trying to hail one of our guys to find out what happened." A radioman answered. One operator brought up a video commlink but static appeared on the screen. "CS-27 _Blackhawks_ Capt. do you hear me, over." Then a faint video came through. Gunshots could be heard in the background. Then he saw a scared soldier come to the video. "C-tower this is Lt. Bates, tower, we've got…FIRE YOUR WEAPON SOLDIER!" Then the video showed Bates stepping back and firing his weapon. A loud scream of pain came later. By then the entire tower knew what had happened. "TOWER WE HAVE PHANTOMS ATTACKING THE WORKERS! NO WORD ON KILLED YET! SEND HELP IMMEDIATELY!" Bates stepped back and fired his weapon again. The video returned to static but the sound remained. "SOMEONE GET THAT WORKER OUT OF THE CROSSFIRE! JOHNSON THERE'S ONE BEHI…" A groan of pain and struggle came later. "DAMNIT! FALL BACK TO THE TRUCKS! CAPTAIN WATCH OUT!" The sound link disconnected after that. "WELL WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE WAITING FOR; SCRAMBLE THE SQUADRONS!" Elliot yelled. "GET THE DROPSHIPS PREPPED!" "I need a commlink to the pilots' quarters." "Give me an exact location on the fight." "Major! You're on live with the link!" Elliot picked up a microphone. "ALL UNITS SCRAMBLE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT ALL UNITS SCRAMBLE! THIS IS NO SHIT! PHANTOMS ARE ATTACKING THE CONSTRUCTION SITE! MOVE YOUR ASSES!"

Logan found his field combat helmet and strapped it on. He looked over and saw the rest of _Archangel_ getting their gear on. Jamal strapped his shoulder pads on and located his rifle. He packed two extra oval packs into his field backpack and popped a fresh oval pack into his rifle. He slapped on his helmet and slammed his hand on the wall. "COME ON ARCHANGELS LET'S MOVE LIKE WE HAVE A PURPOSE! THOSE WORKERS WON'T LAST LONG!" Logan popped a fresh pack into his rifle and joined up with the rest of the unit on their way out the locker room. "Lt. Marshall," Jamal asked, "How are the dropships coming along?" Marshall, Delta Team's commander, looked over and replied. "I've got chaos on my link." "Fuck." Jamal uttered as the unit made their way to the dropship hangers. As they ran across a catwalk, Logan looked down and saw the ships. Most had their engines dismantled; others hadn't even been fueled yet. All of a sudden Angel stopped and looked backwards at another hangar. "Angel what's the problem?!" Jamal asked. "Just follow me sir I have an idea." She ran in the opposite direction. Delta Team followed but Jamal, puzzled, ran to her and asked, "What the hell are you doing? Dropships are that way!" "Sir the dropships haven't even been fueled yet. Most of them are on maintenance detail and aren't flyable. Plus it'd take nearly ten minutes to get the squads airborne. I remembered the _Bandits_ in another hangar. They're all fueled and ready to roll. They should be able to get us there in at least four and a half minutes, five tops." The bandits: four wheeled light reconnaissance jeeps made for fast transport. Each carried a single 30mm cannon in its rear and each could seat a full team fully loaded and could hit speeds of almost 60 mph. Jamal pondered this but realized that the _Bandits_ would get them there faster then a dropship would. "Good thinking Angel," Jamal said, "Marshall?!" "Sir!" "Get on the comm. and tell the other squads to forget the dropships and get a _Bandit_. Tell them their in Hangar D-4." "Yes sir."

Angel jumped in the driver's seat while Ricky rode shotgun. Logan was the strongest so he manned the cannon while Ariel and Jamal sat in the rear. Angel started the jeep and pumped its engines. The V-8 engine growled to life as its forward lights came on. Jamal looked back and saw Delta Team loading into another _Bandit_. Marshall was in the driver's seat and he waved a "good to go" sign to Jamal. "All right Angel let's go!" Angel stepped on the gas and the _Bandit _took off with Delta's right behind. As she turned onto the parkway to the main gate, Jamal looked back to see other squads loading up other _Bandits_. Then a call came on the _Bandit's_ commlink. It was Elliot. "Archangel Bravo Team just what the hell are you doing?" "Sir these things will get us to the site faster then the dropships. Requesting permission to open the main gate." "Granted, now get out to that site. We've lost contact with the site, no telling if the Phantoms wiped them all out or not." "Roger that sir." "And Hunter!" "Sir?" "Good luck out there. All of you." and Elliot switched off. Jamal looked ahead and saw the main gate beginning to open. The two _Bandits_ exited the parkway and zoomed out of the main gate. Jamal looked behind Delta's _Bandit_ and saw 3 more _Bandits _not too far behind. "All right Angel, punch it! We gotta go!" "You got it sir!" She floored the gas and the jeep shot off with four more behind it. They found the main road into the city and were off like flies to rescue their comrades.

To Be Continued…


	4. RESCUE THE SURVIVORS!

Lt. Bates emptied the last of his second clip into a nearby Phantom. It screamed but kept lumbering towards him. It raised its hand and sent a swarm of tentacles reaching for him. Bates ducked as the tentacles barely missed his head. He slapped a fresh clip in and fired three rounds into the Phantom's head. It screamed and fell to the ground. He looked over to see two workers trying to flee a Phantom. The alien reached its tentacles out and pierced them into one of the workers. The worker yelled as he felt his body being separated from his spirit. Bates saw the Phantom rip a glowing blue humanoid form from the worker's body and it slowly dissolved into the Phantom's body. It looked over at the other worker who was cowering in fear in a corner. Bates ran over and emptied half of the sub-machine rifle into the Phantom. Bates saw the rounds impact on the Phantom's body causing tiny ripples to appear. The Phantom retreated back with a scream as Bates grabbed the worker. He looked over to see another group of guards trying to hold off a coming wave of Phantoms. He looked around the corner to see a small group of workers huddled up in the shielded cargo truck. Small electric ripples exploded across the truck's body. The shield was failing. "Probably damaged in the explosion." he thought to himself. "We can't fight these things with SMRs, we need some heavier weapons." Bates thought. "The captain's dead and there's only so many guards." Bates and the worker's expression turned grim when they saw 4 Phantoms lumbering towards them. Their tentacles flailing at the ground. He checked his clip. Only 10 rounds left. He didn't have enough time to aim and plug each of their brains, their tentacles were too fast. He didn't have time to reload either, both he and the worker would be "stolen", a term developed by survivors meaning their spirits would be stolen from them. Bates was about to raise his rifle when a large burst of beam energy caught one Phantom in the chest. It vaporized. Another burst came catching the other Phantom, followed by a swarm of Heavy Bio-etheric Rifle rounds. Bates looked behind the Phantoms and saw a _Bandit_ equipped with a beam cannon. There were 5 soldiers in it. In the distance were 3 other _Bandits_ racing into the city. The last Phantom was vaporized as the _Bandit_ pulled up next to Bates. The soldiers stepped out; they were wearing field helmets so their face was visible. Their captain handed Bates extra clips for his SMR and said, "Captain Jamal Hunter, Unit 113 _Archangel_. How can we be of assistance?"

Jamal looked around the corner and saw a mass of Phantoms surrounding 6 soldiers emptying the last rounds of their SMRs into the Phantoms. "I thought this place was clear." Jamal thought to himself. "We've got a few workers holed up in a couple of cargo trucks here and around the corner too. They're shielded but I don't think they'll last much longer." Bates told him. "All right. Lt., as soon as the other _Bandits_ get here, load the survivors into them. Logan, stay here and cover them with the cannon. Ariel provide cover for Logan. Ricky, you and Angel come with me. Ricky grab that bag of SMR clips. LET'S MOVE PEOPLE, LET'S GET THESE PEOPLE OUTTA HERE!" "YES SIR!" Ricky grabbed the bag as Bates ran over to the truck to lower the shield. Jamal peeked around the corner and saw 3 human armored bodies on the ground, unmoving. He saw the other 6 soldiers backed against a wall, with the Phantoms guarding any chance of escape. Jamal, Ricky, and Angel moved quietly behind a dumpster. "All right you two, headshots. Can't spray the area. Pick your targets and drop em', one shot, one kill. Got it?" Ricky and Angel nodded and aimed their rifles. Jamal switched his helmet's targeting eye scanner on and marked 2 Phantoms. "FIRE!"

Ricky sent 2 rounds into one Phantom's brain, slid his rifle over and dropped the next closest one. The Phantoms screamed in pain, fell, and dissolved. "Ricky get over there and get those clips to those men. We'll cover you." Jamal ordered. Ricky nodded, slung the bag and his rifle over his shoulder and dashed over to the soldiers. He heard Jamal and Angel's rifles bark. He glanced over and saw a Phantom had just fallen to the ground and was beginning to dissolve. He stopped at the soldiers and began passing out ammo. Jamal and Angel came up a few seconds later. "Corporal Perez, A-Company," one soldier told Jamal, "Thank god, you guys showed. They just came out of nowhere and began attacking the camp. I thought you guys cleared this place." "So did I." Jamal answered. "Most of the Phantoms came out of that building over there." Perez said and pointed at a nearby warehouse, only a few blocks away from the leveled building where the Phantom nest once stood. "Ok, you 3," Jamal said while pointing at 3 soldiers, "Get over to the other cargo truck and get the survivors over to Lt. Bates. We've got a small group of _Bandits_ en route to this camp and their evacuating survivors. Corporal, are you and 2 of your men still combat ready?" "All we needed was some ammo and a little backup sir. We're ready to go to hell if you want us to." "Even better, you and two of your guys go into that warehouse and begin clearing out the Phantoms. Can you guys handle that?" "Piece of cake sir." Perez said and he along with two soldiers ran off to the warehouse.

Ariel and Logan ran up to Jamal and the rest of Bravo Team. "Sir! Delta Team's _Bandit_ just arrived. They're beginning to clean out any remaining Phantoms." "Remaining my ass, this area's crawling. Most of em are holed up in that warehouse over there." Jamal said. "We've got a couple of soldiers in there beginning to clean em out but I doubt they'll last long with SMRs." Jamal tapped his helmet and connected to Delta Team's leader. "Marshall?!" "Sir!" "Start loading survivors onto the _Bandits_. I'll need two of your men." "Roger that sir, sending two over right now." Angel looked behind her and saw a small group of surviving workers jumping out of a cargo truck and heading to the _Bandits_. "Sir, survivors getting evacuated as we speak." "Good." Then the sound of SMRs firing filled everyone's commlinks. Angel then heard the voice of Corp. Perez on her commlink. "Two coming outta that wall. Blast em! Capt. Hunter, we could use some assistance sir." The two Delta boys showed up and said they were ready. With that the rescuers were off to the warehouse.

Logan switched his flashlight on as they entered the warehouse. The sound of the SMRs firing wasn't far away. His scanners were flooded with red hostile signatures. "Jesus skipper, Intel must've been fucked over if they thought the nest was where the Skinnies were populated." Logan said. "Yea, these must be outcasts or survivors of the bombardment." The group then found guards firing their weapons at the Phantoms coming out of a back wall. Only two guards were firing, one was dead. "ALL RIGHT 113, OPEN FIRE!" Jamal yelled as Bravo and Delta opened fire on the Phantoms. Logan emptied the last of one oval pack, popped in a fresh one, and began charging for an overload. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he barked and sent a blast of energy at the wall. It cleared out a small group of Phantoms but another group took its place. "BLOODY HELL!" Ricky yelled as he fired. "Every time we drop one, 3 more replace it!" "Damn it." Jamal uttered as he popped a fresh pack into his rifle.

"Sir," Ariel yelled, "My scanners aren't cleaning up any. They might've been building another nest. My guess is ¼ of the nest's survivors are all holed up here and beginning to build a new nest." "Shit, we don't have enough firepower to clear them out." Jamal said. "Marshall, are the survivors cleared out yet!?" Jamal yelled into his commlink. "We're starting to load the last ones now sir." Jamal then switched his frequency. "C-Tower this is BT _Archangel_, over." "We here you loud and clear skipper." "Get some bombers over here and level this building! I'm sending you the coordinates." "We got em sir. We'll have 2 bombers airborne in 3 minutes." "Good. All right guys let's get outta here! Logan, you and Ricky lead the way. Perez, you and your man in the middle. You two Delta boys, in the middle with em. Ariel, you, Angel, and I are in the rear. LET'S MOVE!" As they moved to the exit, the Phantoms seemed to be coming out of the walls at every turn. Jamal popped in his last oval pack as beads of sweat dripped down his temple. His fingers grew tired from pulling the trigger, but he couldn't ease up. Not yet. Finally they reached the exit, just as C-tower came in on Jamal's commlink. "Strikers airborne skipper. You've got 5 minutes to get your asses outta there." "ALL RIGHT GUYS STRIKERS AIRBORNE! WE'VE GOT 5 MINUTES, LET'S GO!" The group then broke out in a run to the last two _Bandits_. Jamal looked back and saw hundreds of Phantoms exiting the warehouse and swarming the camp.

Angel heard the chatter of the Striker pilots in her helmet. "Stallion one, go for Mavericks on the lead building." Stallion two, master arm on. GBUs on the target building area." "MARHSALL!? ARE THOSE _BANDITS_ STILL HOT!?" Jamal barked. "YES SIR!" Finally the group reached the _Bandits_. The Delta soldiers and the two guards hopped into the Delta _Bandit_. Bravo Team loaded into their's and the two vehicles sped off out of the construction site. Angel looked back to see that hundreds of orange shapes had swarmed the site. "Just in time." she thought. She then heard the supersonic engines of two jets. She looked up to see two arrow-shaped aircraft zoom overhead towards the site. Even in the _Bandit_, Angel could see the racks of Maverick air-to-ground missiles and Guided Bomb Units under the aircrafts' wings. "Stallion one, Mavericks locked." she heard. "Stallion two, Mavericks locked." "EAGLE TWENTY FOX A3!" Fox A3 being the code that signaled the launch of heavy air-to-ground ordnance "EAGLE EIGHTEEN FOX A3!" Angel then saw four missiles leave the wings of the aircraft and scream off to the target building. Then a massive explosion rocked the construction site as the warehouse collapsed into a cloud of dust. The bombers passed the site, turned around and prepared for a second bombardment. "EAGLE TWENTY, GBUS AWAY!" "EAGLE EIGHTEEN, GBUS AWAY!" She then saw 6 small green bombs fall from each bomber, 12 in all, and impact up and down the site. Small orange balls of flame flashed in the site. "C-tower, Unit 113, this is Stallion one, confirm that the packages have been delivered." Angel turned to Jamal who looked at the site with a pair of binoculars. "Roger that Stallions, target area neutralized. Proceed to scan the area." 5 minutes later. "Scanning complete sir, no signs of Phantom signatures anywhere." "How much fuel do you guys have left?" Jamal asked. "Enough for 2 more hours sir." Scan the entire area in a 12 mile radius of the site." "Sir? It's standard procedure for us to scan the target area once. Even if you are a captain, you don't have the authority to give an order like that." This pissed Jamal off. As much as he respected the pilots, he hated their attitude. Being safe in the air, all they wanted to ever do was blow shit up and go home. "Pilot, I'm ordering you to..." Before he could finish, Major Elliot's voice appeared on the commlink. "I'll handle this Hunter." Elliot said. "Pilot, he may not have the authority but I'm giving you the order now. Scan the city like he said or you'll answer to me. and I'll have your sorry ass flying scenic tour flights over Banshee territories, got it?" "Yes sir." With that the two aircraft originally heading back to the BC turned back to the city and began scanning it. "Capt.," Elliot said, "When you get back to the BC, I want Bravo Team in my office immediately." "Yes sir." With that, Elliot signed off the commlink and the two _Bandits_ made their way back to the BC.

To Be Continued…


	5. Transferred to BC New York

As they walked up to Major Elliot's office, Angel and Ricky's hearts were racing with the thoughts of what Major Elliot had to say. "Maybe we'll get a promotion! I could make Corporal!" Ricky said with high amounts of enthusiasm. "Maybe he'll move me up to Assault Pilot! I've always wanted to fly the Griffon Attack Bombers!" Angel said. "Oh so you'd leave me with these Neanderthals huh?" Ariel said with a grin. "Who these little girls? Please, I know Skinnies that are tougher than these guys." "HEY!" Logan said with a dumbfounded look. Jamal on the other hand, was thinking more realistically of what Elliot would do to them. "Sure they could give us promotions," Jamal thought, "but what would be the point. Bravo is already the best he's got, how much further can he push us up?" They finally reached Elliot's office and Jamal knocked on the door.

"Come in." Elliot said in response to the knock at his door. Bravo Team came and stood at attention in front of his desk. "Sir," Jamal said, "Unit 113 _Archangel_ Bravo Team, reporting as ordered." "At ease soldiers. I want to commend you for your quick thinking out there. The idea to use the _Bandits_ instead of the dropships was genius. Because of it more lives were saved. We would have lost dozens more than the 7 we lost" "Thank you sir," Jamal said, "but is there a reason you called us up here?" Elliot laughed and stood up. "That's what I liked about you Captain. You've always been straight to the point. You'll all be receiving the Magentan Cross for bravery and quick thinking but the news doesn't end there." "Sir?" "As you know, Alpha Team was recently transferred from BC Washington D.C. to New York last week. Their squad leader had asked me that his squad wanted to be transferred to a larger Barrier City. Now I'm bringing the news to you and Delta Team. The two of you are being transferred to New York as well." Just then, Bravo Team's eyes, including Jamal's lit up like candles. "I-I don't know what to say sir." "You're being transferred to a special unit under command of both myself and General Hein. You will report directly to him however and the majority of your work will be directed towards the protection of the Eastern Seaboard Council and Bio-Etheric Science Departments. Is this fine with you?" "Sir, absolutely sir!" "I thought so. I've already notified Delta Team of this and the two of you will most likely be leaving in the next day or two. Once there, Alpha Team will fill you in on everything you need to know. Now Captain, as leader of Unit 113 Bravo Team, you'll be required to attend the upcoming council meeting in the next few months." "I look forward to it sir." "Very well, dismissed. I suggest you spend the time packing your things and saying your last goodbyes. Your group is off duty until you get to New York. You've earned the rest." "Thank you sir!" Jamal said. Bravo Team saluted Elliot and they left the office.

The clang of glasses in the Rec Room echoed through the night as Bravo and Delta Team celebrated their transfer with champagne sent to them by Major Elliot. "This is great!" Logan said. "Why is it so great? What's the other good part about this?" Ricky asked. "The good part is that council defenders have the easiest jobs in this war. All we do is babysit a bunch of old guys. They rarely send council defenders outside the barriers." "HOT DAMN!" Ricky said. "Hey where's Jamal and Ariel?" Angel asked. "Probably getting freaky with each other. You know how they look at each other." Lt. Bates said "Hell, this war has brought this world to an end," Logan said, "but there's no reason not to have love in it. If the two love each other let them." "Right," Ricky said, "say Angel could you demonstrate to me how the Captain and Ariel express their love for one another?" "Forget it kid. I aint about to let tales spread of me banging some rookie. Especially someone as young as you." "Hey the older the berry the sweeter the juice." "Hold on, you callin me old?!" "Angel relax." Logan said. But Angel had already jumped up and grabbed Ricky by the throat.

Jamal and Ariel laid naked in Jamal's bunk as the two listened to the sounds of Angel's brawl with Ricky below them. "Hmm, Angel, has a short fuse don't you think Jamal?" "Sure as hell does but she's the best pilot I know." As Ariel laid on top of him, Jamal proceeded to caress her hair as the two relaxed, savoring the news of their transfer. "You know Jamal," Ariel said, "I'm glad we're being transferred. It's about time we've had a break from all the fighting. All the patrols. All the nest raids. We deserve a break like this." "I don't know Ariel. I've got the weirdest feeling about this. Like this is a bad idea to go to New York." "Oh come on Jamal. I know you're the workaholic. The perfectionist, but don't start looking for reasons to keep us from going. I mean the Unit will be reunited. And do you know how badly they'll be pissed if we can't go. I don't know about Logan, but Angel can be as vicious as the Meta Phantoms when she gets pissed." "Well…I don't think I'd go that far…maybe I'm not…feeling good." Jamal said with a grin. "Aww the poor baby…what can Doctor Ariel do to make it better?" "I think the Captain needs comfort." Ariel kissed him before he could finish. "Shh. Let Ariel handle this. When I'm through with you, you'll be begging to go back to fighting Phantoms." "Is that so?" Jamal said as he flipped her over and kissed her while caressing her body. As the two began making love to each other, the thought still lingered in Jamal's head. Something was going to happen in New York and he felt that it wasn't going to be a good thing. In fact he worried that the Unit might not survive it.

To Be Continued…


	6. A New Friendship of Eyes and Angels

As soon as they left the transport after they arrived in New York, Jamal and the rest of Bravo Team gasped at the sheer size of the Barrier City. D.C had nothing on New York. New York was easily twice the size of the D.C. BC. They nearly got lost trying to find their way to the barracks. "Jesus Christ! How in the hell could you Yanks build something like this? There isn't a BC anywhere in England or Europe that is close to this size." Ricky said. "I never knew that New York was this big." Ariel added. "Our barracks have to be around here somewhere." "Well I'll be damned." Logan said. "What?" Jamal asked. "RYAN! RYAN YOU BIG BASTARD!" Jamal looked over to see Logan running towards a big black man who looked about the same age as him. He was the same size as Logan and judging from his bulging arms, just as strong. "Ryan, god damn man it's good to see you." "Logan. I didn't know you would be here. What are you here for, business? I thought you and the 113 were stationed in D.C." "We were, until Major Elliot decided to transfer us here because of our valor in the line of duty. Hey Captain, come here a sec." Jamal and the rest of Bravo Team walked over. "Ryan, I'd like you to meet Bravo Team. That's Angel, Ariel, Ricky, and our skipper Jamal." "Nice to meet you…um?" Jamal asked as he extended his hand. "Whittaker," Ryan said as he shook his hand, "Sgt. Ryan Whittaker Unit 223 _Deep Eyes_."

"Pardon me Sergeant," Ricky asked, "but we were wondering if you could show us the barracks. We're new here and frankly we've never seen such a big fucking place like this." "Sure thing kid. Be glad to. Any friend of this big palooka is a friend of mines." As the group walked off to the barracks, Jamal's curiosity began to kick in. "So Sergeant, tell me, what exactly do many of the Units in New York do?" "Nothing much Captain. Most of em are assigned to protecting the council leaders and keeping civil order in the streets. You don't have to worry though. City Clearers aren't even necessary around here." "What does Deep Eyes do?" Angel asked. "We're a Combat Recovery and Police Unit. We help the civil guards keep the city streets safe but we also go out into the old city to keep Phantom density down as best as we can. If they start getting close to the city then we get out there and beat their asses back into the old city. Well here it is." "Thanks Sergeant," Jamal said, "We'd probably be lost if it weren't for you." "Don't mention it. Hey if you guys aren't doing anything, maybe you could come down to the Rec Room. Meet the Deep Eyes. We'll help you get acquainted to the base." It's in that building over there." "We'll be delighted to, thanks Sergeant." Jamal said. 'Please sir, call me Ryan."

When Bravo Team reached the Rec Room, they discovered that their old base's room had nothing on this one. It was twice as large and had twice the number of soldiers in it. "Hey there's Delta and Alpha." Ricky said. "Come on, let's go see them." Angel said. Ariel, Angel and Ricky ran over to them but Logan and Jamal stayed and sat with the Deep Eyes. "Glad you could join us," Ryan said, "Guys I'd like you to meet the Deep Eyes. This is our Captain, Gray Edwards and these two are Corporal Jane Proudfoot and Neil Fleming." "Nice to meet you guys." Gray said. "The pleasure is mine Captain." "Please, don't worry about all that rank shit here." Gray said. "Yea," Neil added in his New York accent, "as long as you aint in front of General Hein, rank isn't an issue between us." "So you guys are from the 113 huh?" Jane asked. "Yep," Logan replied, "City Clearers." "Are you shitting me?" Neil asked. "You're telling me that you guys are Phantom fodder?" "Well, us and that group over there." Jamal said pointing over at Alpha, Delta and the rest of Bravo Team. "Never thought I'd see the bravest and craziest sonsabitches face to face." "Well to each his own Gray." Ryan said. "How do you guys do that shit? I mean they have to pay you guys extra or something. I mean they couldn't pay me a million dollars to go into a Phantom nest for even a minute." Neil said. "Well they do call us the craziest bastards in the whole military." Logan replied. "It must be easy here," Jamal said, "I mean doing nothing but guarding the council members. Isn't that Dr. Sid guy here in New York? He's like the head of the bio-etheric department isn't he?" "Yea he is." Gray said. "He's got a partner doesn't he. Some hot chick I think, Asian-American girl. I saw her in the news a couple of times." Logan said. "Yea…he does." Gray replied with a gruffness in his voice. "Well I can say for all of Deep Eyes it'll be a pleasure working with you guys." Ryan said. "We look forward to it." Logan said. "Now if you'll excuse us. We've gotta go show these people how to play pool around here." Logan added and he went off to a group that had gathered around a pool table. "Hell not if we do first. Neil, Jane, let's go. Capt. you coming?" Ryan said. "Na, you guys go on. I'm gonna have another drink then go to bed." Ryan shrugged his shoulders and went off to join the group leaving the two captains at the table. One was thinking about his former love and if he'd live long enough to see her again. The other wondering if he and his team would live period.

To Be Continued…


	7. The Phantom Amidst The Council

It had been nearly two and a half weeks since Bravo Team arrived at New York, and everything was going normal. However they had yet to face a real mission. Jamal could easily see that his men were getting bored. Even Ricky was looking forward to going back to the old city clearing routine. It was December 13 and it was getting late. Ricky and Logan had went turned in while the girls spent the night on the town considering there wasn't much to do. Jamal was taking a walk along the tarmac when he heard the whine of a jet engine. "What the hell? It's nearly midnight, why the hell is a troop dropship coming?" Sure as hell there was a small older troop dropship coming in to land. It was older than Bravo Team's newer version. The ship landed and Jamal saw the soldiers step down its cargo ramp. It was the Deep Eyes and they had some scientist with them. He could see Ryan and the rest of them snapping their armor off. Gray was with the scientist. The scientist was a girl, and a looker at that as well. She looked about in her late twenties, early thirties. Her body was nearly perfect and her face displayed the beauty of an Asian American. It looked like she and Gray were arguing about something. "Look, you know the rules," Gray said, "absolutely no civilians are allowed in the old cities after the 11:30 curfew." "Well I'm sorry _Captain_ but this lifeform was worth it." The scientist said. "Jesus Christ, you risk the necks of my soldiers all for some half-dead weed not even worth $2.50." "It may be a weed to you but this weed could be what saves this sorry planet's ass if my work is finished." "Geez," Jamal thought, "pretty harsh words." "Let's go doctor." Gray said as he and Deep Eyes led the scientist off into scanning. Something about that scientist seemed familiar. Like he had seen her before.

The next day, Jamal was walking with Ricky and the two of them ran into Neil in the mess hall. "Hey Neil, let me ask you something?" "Huh, sure Jamal, what do you need?" "Were you guys on duty last night because I heard a transport landing last night." Jamal asked him. "Umm yeah, yeah we were. Why?" "Just curious of what you guys were doing." Jamal replied. "Umm we…um…I don't know if I can tell you that." Neil said. "Arresting someone." Ryan said as he popped in out of nowhere. "Who?" Ricky asked. "Some civilian scientist in the old city past curfew. They told us there was an unregistered ship in the city and we were the first squad that they contacted." "Um sarge are you sure we can tell them this. I mean this scientist was sorta important and we wouldn't wanna spread stuff." Neil said. "Relax Neil, it's no big deal. If you guys are curious who it was it was Dr. Ross." Ricky nearly fainted when he heard this. "YOU MEAN THE DR. ROSS?!" He asked. "Yea, the Dr. Ross. Hell I think they should let her off the hook. I mean she did save Gray's life last night." Ryan said. "What, how?" Jamal asked. "Phantom particles, he got infected," Ryan said, "She got him in the operating room and zapped the particles with a bio-etheric laser." "So that's why I heard the alarm going off for a little bit." Ricky said. "Yea, now if you'll excuse us. Neil and I have some work to do." Ryan said. "Geez Captain," Ricky said "We haven't even been here a month and we've already got some action." "I dunno Rick. Something is telling me this is only the beginning."

It was mid-January and Jamal was in the council meeting. It was his first and he couldn't have been anymore bored. It was mostly just the council talking about how humanity had to fight on and keep surviving. Jamal hated shit like that and nearly started snoring in his seat. Gray sat next to him. Gray, who had recently been cleared from his hospital stay after being infected, woke up Jamal at least twice. "I know this crap is boring," he whispered to Jamal, "but try to stay awake. Count sheep or do something." Then it got interesting when the council began debating with General Hein on why the Zeus Cannon's firing had been postponed. The Zeus Cannon, Earth's latest military spear against the Phantoms. It was basically a giant cannon in orbit above the earth. General Hein had been pissed off that Zeus hadn't been fired yet even though it had been done for at least a month. Jamal didn't like him one bit. That was one thing he and Gray had in common. They both agreed that Hein was a bit psychotic when it came to offensive actions against the Phantoms. Then the council let Dr. Gaius Sid talk about his department, the Bio-Etheric Sector. Then Jamal saw her. Dr. Ross, sitting next to Dr. Sid organizing his reports. Instead of wearing the old dingy combat suit he saw her in the night Deep Eyes brought her in, she was in a formal white work suit. It seemed as if there was some other-wordly aura of beauty surrounding her. Then Jamal heard the word being uttered from Dr. Sid's mouth. Gaia.

The theory that the Earth itself had a spirit was utter nonsense to Jamal and because Sid had mentioned it the entire council started mumbling amongst each other. Jamal, ignoring the council looked over to see Gray staring at Dr. Ross. He then heard Dr. Sid bring up some idea about a way to disable the Phantoms without firing the Zeus. "This guy's crazy. Hell, the Zeus cannon is our best option for beating the Phantoms." Jamal thought to himself. Hein must've been thinking the same thing because he started criticizing Sid, calling his Phantom-disabling spirit wave, a "touchy feely army of plants and animals". Until Dr. Ross stood up to defend Sid. Saying that the partially completed wave was already proven effective in containing phantom particles in an infected patient and keeping her from death. That was when Hein yelled for proof. Then she did it. She reached into breast, covered by a breastplate and touched it. Instantly a hologram appeared in front of Dr. Ross's chest. What the hologram displayed, shocked everyone…including Jamal. It was a huge Phantom blob, wriggling and jiggling within a spirit-blue sphere. Hein stepped back in horror but Sid held his head down. "Gray, damn man are you seeing this." Jamal asked Gray. "Yeah…I see it." Gray replied. Jamal looked over and saw that Gray had gone ghastly pale. Almost as if he felt that Dr. Ross had just died. Jamal looked down on the council floor and saw Dr. Ross leave the table towards the exit. Then she looked up at Gray who looked away. Then she locked eyes with Jamal for a split second. Something in Jamal's head told him not to stare but he couldn't help it. Something about this Doctor had him spooked abit and the feeling he had about Unit 113 not surviving for much longer hit him hard like a train. The council room was cold and silent after she left.

To Be Continued…


End file.
